Lost in Martial Translation

"Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable." - Dwight D. Eisenhower In many aspects of life, to include teaching/coaching, I've found profound truth in this quote. While having a detailed instructional plan is valuable, the true essence of effective coaching lies in the ability to adapt and reshape that plan continually. When I began teaching my current MMA class, I had mapped out what I thought would be the first lesson. However, I quickly realized establishing competency with even basic techniques like the jab would require multiple dedicated sessions - my "lesson 1" was really the starting point for an extended "topic 1." This shift proved immensely helpful. As we progressed through jab drills and sparring, I noticed some students developing flaws that could solidify into bad habits if we continued down that constrained path. Drawing from the "ecological" coaching approach, I adapted by: • Integrating low jabs  • Adding evasive move...

Part of  slice 1 Part of  topic 1  I've been a little behind on notes and video editing. Since these class has been largely review, and not a lot of video was shot, it seems appropriate to group them together. Class 4 5/25/2024 Just Scott. Works out well in that I can focus on mechanics and fixing bad habits Reviewed previous material - using the "learner expectation" method to have them say back what they think they understand. Stance Shape Purpose Footwork Basic rule Why Range game, attached and unattached Jab Shape and reason Body mechanics Able to spend a lot of time here, to good effect This sort of "private lesson" attention and time really pays off, but unfortunately not scalable Revisit "simple shaolin punch" as exaggerated way to get visceral sense of how to maximize full body usage Lots of tweaks to imagery to avoid Leaning Focusing too much on upper body Keeping stance right to transmit power more effectively Jab defense Change of order, cat...

5/22/2024 Part of slice 1 Part of  topic 1  6 Attendees, Zach, Shane, Andrew, Mike, Alexis, Brandon. Brandon for the first time, class already encounters the " Variable Skill Level and Attendance Dilemma ", to be noted at the end Reviewed (though 1st time for Brandon) the following. Use the "learner explanation" method to see what the class remembers. I'm hoping since I always include the why, they'll remember better Stance Basic dimensions and why Balance, base and mobility Arm positions Maximal defense Footwork General rule - foot in direction you want to go moves first Don't cross feet, compromises base and mobility Don't let feet come together (with exception) Ditto above Same height More efficient Better stability Slight drag Both feet in contact with the ground for more time == better stability/mobility Range game To combine the above 2 into a more live exercise Maintain good fight stance Practice above footwork Learn to read the opponents move...

  One of the biggest challenges a martial arts instructor faces is what I call the Variable Skill Level And Attendance Dilemma. Unlike structured educational courses with prerequisites, you can never guarantee who will show up to any given martial arts class. One day you could have all new students, the next a mix of novice and advanced practitioners, some who have diligently attended while others are catching up after an extended absence. This unpredictable turnout makes it nearly impossible to design a linear progression that builds upon previous lessons in a methodical fashion. If you have students at wildly different skill levels, attempting to move forward with new concepts/skills will leave some behind. However, constantly re-teaching basics prevents advancing students from progressing. I've experienced this firsthand many times. For example, if teaching a progression of techniques building up to a final goal, introducing a new component becomes problematic if half the class ...

 5/15/2024 Part of  slice 1 Part of  topic 1  6 attendees, Eric, Mike P, Shane S, Zach, Alexis, Andrew, got as far as jab defense, still wanting a little more proficiency before the constrained games. Was not able to get to jab sparring or cross. Did a preview class of same material w/Scott, the sat before, able to start working progressive chaos on jab and cross. Likely to be at least 2 more classes before we move to Topic 2, shoot boxing.  Whiteboard overview 3 Ranges of MMA Striking Clinch Grappling Shoot Boxing slice across the 3 ranges Stance Shape - and why Feet Body angle Guard Additional context, boxing, muay thai, mma Footwork General pattern Keep fight stance Range game Jab Form (form follows function) and why Twist/snap back Elbow up In center Body Mechanics Rotation, shift, aligment Fair amount of tweaks Jab Defense, the 3.5 blocks Block first - easier, good "Oh s**t" reflexes Catch Cover Crazy Monkey Variant Parry Partner exercise Stationary Correct...

 I'm probably showing my age when I make "Yes, Virginia ..." reference  ... Got it, that makes sense to not go too in-depth on certain topics if you plan to cover them separately. Here's how I would revise the draft with your new context around the ecological dynamics approach: I recently received this question: "Is your MMA class appropriate for those with little experience?" The answer is a resounding yes! My approach is specifically designed to make MMA accessible for everyone, even complete beginners. In most martial arts that teach fighting skills, classes typically follow a format of learning technique(s), then drilling or sparring to practice applying those techniques. Sometimes there's an intermediate step in between (specific training in BJJ), but often it's a "sink or swim" situation once you start sparring. For myself, it's a big win for me to be able to apply the "lesson of the day" in sparring, because it doesn...

5/18/2024 Part of  slice 1 Part of  topic 1  Just 2 attendees, Scott and Andrew. Fortuitous in that I could spend some more time on body mechanics.  Happy with the results.  Looked good at the end with Jab sparring, esp. since neither have any striking experience before. Good testament to the Progressive Chaos approach, went from never having done jab sparring to being able to competently do jab sparring Reviewed Stance Re-emphasized  Reviewed footwork Had them feel the difference in: Not changing height Not letting feet come together Both feet in contact w/the ground Games/exercises Range game - attached Range game - unattached Reviewed jab Structure - why we Rotate hand Elbow up/Chin protected Body mechanics Focused on rotation (lacking on both) Door slam analogy Central axis rotation imagery "Simplified Shaolin Punch" worked to get both to better utilize rotation along with alignment and weight shift In the air Striking hand Striking bag Reviewed the 3.5...

 The world of open source software has enabled incredible innovation by making source code freely available and allowing a community of developers to collaborate, review, modify and distribute that code. I'm going to try to take a similar "open source" approach with the martial arts techniques and training methods I teach starting with the MMA class I'm going to start teaching. For the uninitiated, open source software is computer software with source code that is distributed publicly, often with an open collaboration model. This stands in contrast with proprietary software where the source code is kept secret. This open "crowd sourced" approach has allowed software to advance in unprecedented and unexpected pace. You can read more about open source software here :  My goal is to put as much of the MMA class material online as possible for a few key reasons: Making it easily accessible to my students to facilitate learning and retention of a large body o...